US FDA approves Abbott’s spinal cord stimulation systems to treat chronic back pain
Abbott announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices for the treatment of chronic back pain in people who have not had or are not eligible to receive back surgery, known as non-surgical back pain. This labelling expansion was supported by results from the DISTINCT study, which demonstrated that Abbott’s proprietary BurstDR SCS technology improved pain levels, ability to perform daily activities and emotional well-being in people with chronic back pain.
Today, people who have few options for corrective surgery to address their chronic back pain are usually treated with combinations of therapies: physical therapy, chiropractic care and pain relievers. However, these options are not effective for all people with chronic back pain, causing the treatment journey to feel complicated and uncertain for people who historically have had limited treatment options.
“To date, we have struggled with how to treat people who weren’t considered a good surgical candidate because we didn’t have clear, data-driven treatment options for non-surgical back pain,” said Timothy Deer, M.D., FIPP, DABPM, president and chief executive officer of the Spine and Nerve Centers of the Virginias in Charleston, W.Va. “This new indication for Abbott’s SCS devices, together with BurstDR stimulation, allows physicians the ability to identify and treat a new group of people, providing them with relief from chronic back pain.”
